←Recommendations of The Remarkably Unremarkable Crucifixion of Emma Reynolds

Daniel Prillaman is a master of making the utterly mundane creepy AF. THE REMARKABLY UNREMARKABLE CRUCIFIXION OF EMMA REYNOLDS is just that! Prillaman has perfectly captured the exasperated tone of a teenage girl who is impressed by nothing, and then given her a story that is both completely run of the mill and impossibly beyond belief. It's the little details that makes this monologue so spot on: Being late for school, annoyed the surprise assembly, the weird reassurances from the magician!

Daniel’s usual fine work, similar to oh, say, George Saunders or Anton Chekhov writing about a woman being crucified as a SHORT STORY? That short story would be celebrated/hailed/assigned to future English classes so that students can write whole essays about the imagery, the themes and how the author accomplishes so much mastery in such a little space. And so it should be with Emma’s crucifixion. Remarkably Unremarkable? No. Remarkably remarkably unremarkable, which is in itself remarkable.

Dark, disturbing work. An impressive critique on bullying and the bystander effect!

An utterly haunting depiction of a unique horror visited on an innocent teen-aged girl. Gripping from the start, this monologue didn't let go long after I finished reading. I was so shaken I had to step away before attempting to write a recommendation. This is a most original and unforgettable work.

I am sitting here, reading this monologue on Palm Sunday. I saw a play earlier this week where a man, telling his life story, said that he has found a way to remain awake while going under anesthesia; he can now feel the drug working and can catch the second before he goes under. He will do the same right before he dies. It unnerved me. Prillaman is doing something similar here. He's catching a moment. An awful moment. And just letting it hang there. Suspended. While life continues all around you.

This monologue is unique, poetic, and simply brilliant. The tension builds throughout, somewhat uncomfortably, right to the abiss of the ending.
What I love about such good writing is that the reader, or viewer, can make what they will of it, interpret their own way. For me it is a metaphor of the ongoing humiliation of bullying, especially when no-one intervenes, stuck up high for all to see and mock.
A very powerful monologue as well as being really quite disturbing.

Really nice--I mean, the writing, which is super well-paced and just draws the reader (and I am sure, a live audience) in. There is a spooky weirdness to the last few pages that made me shiver. I would LOVE to see this performed! Excellent!

A perfectly paced, traumatizingly horrific, slow burn. Well done!!

A kind of magic trick in the title, an oxymoron adjective construction that gives a curious weight and mysteriousness to this monologue from the start. The line breaks as spoken by Emma Reynolds are perfectly timed, the pacing and repetitions are just right. A powerful and poetic address against scapegoating that is so woefully and consistently a part of human nature. This reminds of the early films of Luis Bunuel - phenomenal, would love to see it performed!! If you haven't experienced the work of Daniel Prillaman - WHY NOT? - this would be a great place to start!!

God imagine seeing this staged. Imagine seeing the ending of this monologue play out. The confusion, the awe, the fear. Daniel Prillaman delivers with this shockingly brilliant monologue. Emma Reynolds is a fantastic character. I'm just in awe.